Next up, it’s time to meet Brooks Atwood, a product designer, architect and industrial design professor. Brooks likes to push the envelope with his cutting-edge, modern style that he classifies as futuristic and avant-garde.

How did you get started in the design business?

Growing up my dad always had me help him with things as summer projects, like build a shed or replacing the roof. I loved the idea of construction. My dad’s an engineer, but he’s also built some houses. So, it was kind of a mixture of design and engineering. But, I wanted my dad to let me do things that were just a little bit more interesting…like a tool shed that’s crooked. I just knew right away that I liked to take apart stuff and build it back, but in a new way.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I can juggle. That wasn’t very impressive to the girls in high school, so I didn’t have too many girlfriends. But I can also do some magic tricks. That’s actually how I met my wife…I met her at a friends birthday party and was doing magic tricks throughout the night, and she said, alright, he’s okay. So, my dorky magic tricks actually worked!

With your background, you’re kind of coming at this competition from a different angle than most of the other contestants.

Yeah I’m surprised I got chosen, just cause my style is way different, and I’m like, the opposite of everyone else they’ve ever had on the show. I’m an architect, technically by training, and then I’m doing product design and industrial design and I’m an industrial design professor.

I’ve never done any of this before. I don’t do interiors, I don’t decorate, or style or anything, I do more space and product design. So this is just freaky awesome and….I’m just going to take it to the next level.